"Vocal cords The vocal cords, also known as vocal folds, are folds of tissue in the throat that are key in creating sounds through vocalization. The size of vocal cords affects the pitch of voice. Open when breathing and vibrating for speech or singing, the folds are controlled via the vagus nerve. They are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally, from back to front, across the larynx. They vibrate, modulating the flow of air being expelled from the lungs during phonation. The vocal cords are composed of twin infoldings of 3 distinct tissues: The outer layer is"
"Larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck of tetrapods involved in breathing, producing sound, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The larynx houses the vocal folds, and manipulates pitch and volume, which is essential for phonation. It is situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the esophagus. The word larynx (plural larynges) comes from a similar Ancient Greek word (λάρυγξ ""lárynx""). In adult humans, the larynx is found in the anterior neck at the level of the C3–C7 vertebrae. It connects"
"contains vocal cords, the epiglottis (preventing food/liquid inhalation), and an area known as the subglottic larynx—the narrowest section of the upper part of the throat. In the larynx, the vocal cords consist of two membranes that act according to the pressure of the air. The ""Jugulum"" is a low part of the throat, located slightly above the breast. The term ""Jugulum"" is reflected both by the internal and external jugular veins, which pass through the ""Jugulum"". Throat In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the front part of the neck, positioned in front of the vertebra. It contains the pharynx and"
"part of the larynx above the vocal folds. The lower tract (Fig. 2.) includes the lower part of the larynx, the trachea, bronchi, bronchioles and the alveoli. The branching airways of the lower tract are often described as the respiratory tree or tracheobronchial tree (Fig. 2). The intervals between successive branch points along the various branches of ""tree"" are often referred to as branching ""generations"", of which there are, in the adult human about 23. The earlier generations (approximately generations 0–16), consisting of the trachea and the bronchi, as well as the larger bronchioles which simply act as air conduits,"
"air inhaled. The trachea is the tube which carries air from the oral cavity and into the lungs, and is about 75–80 cm in length in the adult. It is held permanently open by 50-60 ""C""-shaped rings of cartilage, 5–6 cm in diameter. At the bifurcation of the trachea, there are two bronchi, the right of which is slightly larger in size. The bronchi then branch into smaller bronchioles, which in turn branch off into smaller bronchioles until they reach the alveoli (which absorb oxygen from the air and releases the carbon dioxide waste). The bronchi and bronchioles are all"
"Cricoid cartilage The cricoid cartilage , or simply cricoid (from the Greek ""krikoeides"" meaning ""ring-shaped"") or cricoid ring, is the only complete ring of cartilage around the trachea. It forms the back part of the voice box and functions as an attachment site for muscles, cartilages, and ligaments involved in opening and closing the airway and in producing speech. The cricoid cartilage sits just inferior to the thyroid cartilage in the neck, at the level of the C6 vertebra, and is joined to it medially by the median cricothyroid ligament and postero-laterally by the cricothyroid joints. Inferior to it are"
"Trapezoid body The trapezoid body (the ventral acoustic stria) is part of the auditory pathway where some of the axons coming from the cochlear nucleus (specifically, the anterior cochlear nucleus) decussate (cross over) to the other side before traveling on to the superior olivary nucleus. This is believed to help with localization of sound. The trapezoid body is located in the caudal pons, or more specifically the pontine tegmentum. It is situated between the pontine nucleus and the medial lemniscus. After nerves from the cochlear nucleus cross over in the trapezoid body and go on to the superior olivary nucleus,"
"Cochlea The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, in humans making 2 turns(full) and a 3/4(3 quarters) turn around its axis, the modiolus. A core component of the cochlea is the Organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing, which is distributed along the partition separating fluid chambers in the coiled tapered tube of the cochlea. The name cochlea derives . The cochlea (plural is cochleae) is a spiralled, hollow, conical chamber of bone, in which waves propagate from the ""base"" (near the middle ear and"
"body to the highest, these areas are the chest, the tracheal tree, the larynx itself, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the sinuses. The twelve-tone musical scale, upon which a large portion of all music (western popular music in particular) is based, may have its roots in the sound of the human voice during the course of evolution, according to a study published by the New Scientist. Analysis of recorded speech samples found peaks in acoustic energy that mirrored the distances between notes in the twelve-tone scale. There are many disorders that affect the human voice; these"
"Pharynx The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity and above the esophagus and larynx, or the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs. It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its structure varies across species. In humans, the pharynx is part of the digestive system and the conducting zone of the respiratory system. (The conducting zone—which also includes the nostrils of the nose, the larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles—filters, warms and moistens air and conducts it into the lungs.) The pharynx makes up the part of the throat"
"Trachea The trachea, colloquially called the windpipe, is a cartilaginous tube that connects the pharynx and larynx to the lungs, allowing the passage of air, and so is present in almost all air-breathing animals with lungs. The trachea extends from the larynx and branches into the two primary bronchi. At the top of the trachea the cricoid cartilage attaches it to the larynx. This is the only complete tracheal ring, the others being incomplete rings of reinforcing cartilage. The trachealis muscle joins the ends of the rings and these are joined vertically by bands of fibrous connective tissue – the"
"trachea (e.g. under the vocal folds). There, it has a high degree of vibrational absorption, with little or no acoustical function to reflect sound waves back toward the larynx. The tracheal tree makes no significant contribution to the resonance system except for a negative effect around its resonant frequency. The trachea and the bronchial tubes combine to form an inverted Y-shaped structure known as the tracheal tree. It lies just below the larynx, and, unlike the interior of the lungs, has a definite tubular shape and comparatively hard surfaces. The response of the tracheal tree is the same for all"
"General Pharynx The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the mouth and nasal cavity and above the esophagus and larynx, or the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs. It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates, though its structure varies across species. In humans, the pharynx is part of the digestive system and the conducting zone of the respiratory system. (The conducting zone—which also includes the nostrils of the nose, the larynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles—filters, warms and moistens air and conducts it into the lungs.) The pharynx makes up the part of the"
"they continue to the lateral lemniscus, then the inferior colliculus, then the medial geniculate body, before finally arriving at the primary auditory cortex. Trapezoid body The trapezoid body (the ventral acoustic stria) is part of the auditory pathway where some of the axons coming from the cochlear nucleus (specifically, the anterior cochlear nucleus) decussate (cross over) to the other side before traveling on to the superior olivary nucleus. This is believed to help with localization of sound. The trapezoid body is located in the caudal pons, or more specifically the pontine tegmentum. It is situated between the pontine nucleus and"
"The prosthesis keeps food out of the trachea but lets air into the esophagus for oesophageal speech. A laryngectomized person is required to breathe through a permanent breathing hole in the neck, called a tracheostoma. When a laryngectomized person occludes the tracheostoma, completely blocking exhaled air to leave the body through that pathway, exhaled air is directed through the voice prosthesis. This air enters the esophagus and escapes through the mouth. During this process, as the air passes through the upper tissues of the esophagus and lower throat, it allows for vibration of the tissues of the pharyngoesophageal segment (also"
"Rima glottidis The rima glottidis is the opening between the true vocal cords and the arytenoid cartilages of the larynx. It is normally subdivided into two parts: that between the arytenoid cartilages is called the intercartilaginous part (or the intercartilaginous glottis, respiratory glottis, or interarytenoid space), and that between the vocal folds the intermembranous part (3/5th) or glottis vocalis. It is closed by the lateral cricoarytenoid muscles and the arytenoid muscle. It is opened by the posterior cricoarytenoid muscles. It is limited posteriorly by interarytenoid fold of mucous membrane. It is the narrowest part of larynx. It is longer (23mm)"
"resonators. In sequence from the lowest within the body to the highest, these areas are the chest, the tracheal tree, the larynx itself, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the sinuses. ""Chest voice"" and ""head voice"" are terms used within vocal music. The use of these terms varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regards to these terms. Chest voice can be used in relation to a particular part of the vocal range or type of vocal register; a vocal resonance area; or a specific"
"hypochondriac regions; the right and left lumbar regions which flank the umbilical region (which surrounds the umbilicus, or belly button), the right and left iliac and inguinal regions which are where the hips are, and the hypogastric/pubic region, which lies between the hips. The thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominopelvic cavity by the diaphragm. The thoracic cavity is further separated into the pleural cavity which contains the lungs and the superior mediastinum which includes the pericardial (heart) cavity. The organs within the ventral body cavity are called the viscera. Ventral body cavity The ventral body cavity is a human"
"arytenoid cartilages, while salamanders possess only the arytenoids. Vocal folds are found only in mammals, and a few lizards. As a result, many reptiles and amphibians are essentially voiceless; frogs use ridges in the trachea to modulate sound, while birds have a separate sound-producing organ, the syrinx. The ancient Greek physician Galen first described the larynx, describing it as the ""first and supremely most important instrument of the voice"" Larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck of tetrapods involved in breathing, producing sound, and protecting the trachea against food"
"Laryngeal vestibule The portion of the cavity of the larynx above the vocal folds is called the laryngeal vestibule; it is wide and triangular in shape, its base or anterior wall presenting, however, about its center the backward projection of the tubercle of the epiglottis. It contains the vestibular folds, and between these and the vocal folds are the laryngeal ventricles. The vestibule is an opening in the lateral wall of the larynx, between the vestibular fold above and the vocal folds below. It is the inlet to another cavity in the lateral wall of larynx, the laryngeal ventricle.The vestibular"
"during the act of swallowing to direct food into the esophagus. If food or liquid does enter the trachea and contacts the vocal folds it causes a cough reflex to expel the matter in order to prevent pulmonary aspiration. Males and females have different vocal fold sizes. Adult male voices are usually lower pitched due to longer and thicker folds. The male vocal folds are between 1.75 cm and 2.5 cm (approx 0.75"" to 1.0"") in length, while female vocal folds are between 1.25 cm and 1.75 cm (approx 0.5"" to 0.75"") in length. The vocal folds of children are"
"an alveolus . The upper respiratory tract, can refer to the parts of the respiratory system lying above the sternal angle (outside of the thorax), above the vocal folds, or above the cricoid cartilage. The larynx is sometimes included in both the upper and lower airways. The larynx is also called the voice box and has the associated cartilage that produces sound. The tract consists of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, the pharynx (nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharynx) and sometimes includes the larynx. The lower respiratory tract or lower airway is derived from the developing foregut and consists of the"
"nasal cavity. When producing nasal consonants (such as ""m"", ""n"", and ""ng""), the soft palate remains relaxed, thereby enabling the air to go through the nose. The Eustachian tube, which opens near the velopharyngeal sphincter, connects the middle ear and nasal pharynx. Normally, the tube ensures aeration and drainage (of secretions) of the middle ear. Narrow and closed at rest, it opens during swallowing and yawning, controlled by the tensor veli palatini and the levator veli palatini (muscles of the soft palate). Children with a cleft palate have difficulties controlling these muscles and thus are unable to open the Eustachian"
"the fluid can re-emerge. In fact, in many cases surgeons will not perform surgery without the guarantee that the individual will stop smoking. The vocal cords consist of five layers of cells: In order for humans to produce sound for speech, the vocal folds must readily vibrate. The two layers of the vocal cords that vibrate are the Reinke's space and the overlying epithelium. In fact, these layers move freely over the more rigid intermediate and deep lamina proprias. Accumulation of fluid within the Reinke's space alters the elasticity of the vocal cord, making it less stiff and more gelatinous."
"in males than in females (17mm). All of these muscles receive their innervation from the recurrent laryngeal nerve which is a branch of the vagus nerve (CN X). This nerve can be vulnerable in thyroid surgery, if damaged control to the rima glottidis may be affected resulting in a hoarse voice, aphonia or difficulty breathing. Rima glottidis The rima glottidis is the opening between the true vocal cords and the arytenoid cartilages of the larynx. It is normally subdivided into two parts: that between the arytenoid cartilages is called the intercartilaginous part (or the intercartilaginous glottis, respiratory glottis, or interarytenoid"
"Stomochord The stomochord is a flexible, hollow tube found in hemichordates. Stomochords arise in embryonic development as an outpocketing from the roof of the embryonic gut anterior to the pharynx. In adults, they extend dorsally from the pharynx into the proboscis, and serve to communicate with the oral cavity. Their walls are composed primarily of epithelial cells, but ciliated and glandular cells are also present. Stomochords were initially considered a variant of a primitive notochord, a defining feature of chordates. However, they are now recognized to not share histological composition to that of the notochord found in chordates, lacking the"
"Vestibular fold The vestibular fold (ventricular fold, superior or false vocal cord) is one of two thick folds of mucous membrane, each enclosing a narrow band of fibrous tissue, the vestibular ligament, which is attached in front to the angle of the thyroid cartilage immediately below the attachment of the epiglottis, and behind to the antero-lateral surface of the arytenoid cartilage, a short distance above the vocal process. The lower border of this ligament, enclosed in mucous membrane, forms a free crescentic margin, which constitutes the upper boundary of the ventricle of the larynx. The vestibular folds of the larynx"
"This slows the vocal cord vibration, which results in a deepened and hoarse voice. Because men normally have a lower voice than women, the change is more noticeable in women. Edema usually occurs on both vocal cords. This is known as bilateral Reinke's edema. The pathophysiology or mechanism of Reinke's edema is not well known, however, chemicals contained within cigarette smoke are associated with an increased vascular permeability of blood vessels, which results in fluid leaking into the Reinke's space. Normally, the vocal cords are surrounded by neatly aligned blood vessels, however, these blood vessels can become disarranged and fragile"
"vocal reed, functioning like the vocal cords of humans. Note that the view pictured on the right is an axial view, not coronal as noted The stomach has three chambers. The first chamber, or forestomach, is not glandular, and opens directly into the second, fundic chamber, which is lined by digestive glands. A narrow tube runs from the second to the third, or pyloric, stomach, which is also glandular, and connects, via a sphincter, to the duodenum. Although fermentation of food material apparently occurs in the small intestine, no caecum is present. The rostroventral dura of the brain contains a"
"fold is formed by the vestibular ligament extending from the lateral walls of the epiglottis to the arytenoid cartilage covered with mucous membrane. The vocal fold is the upper free margin of the conus elasticus which is covered by mucous membrane. The conus elasticus or lateral ligament is the lateral thickened part of the cricothyroid membrane. Laryngeal vestibule The portion of the cavity of the larynx above the vocal folds is called the laryngeal vestibule; it is wide and triangular in shape, its base or anterior wall presenting, however, about its center the backward projection of the tubercle of the"
"Reinke's edema Reinke's edema is the swelling of the vocal cords due to fluid (edema) collected within the Reinke's space. First identified by the German anatomist Friedrich B. Reinke in 1895, the Reinke's space is a gelatinous layer of the vocal cord located underneath the outer cells of the vocal cord. When a person speaks, the Reinke's space vibrates to allow for sound to be produced (phonation). The Reinke's space is sometimes referred to as the superficial lamina propria. Reinke's edema is characterized by the ""sac-like"" appearance of the fluid-filled vocal cords. The swelling of the vocal folds causes the"
"trachea and the structures below this including the lungs. The trachea receives air from the pharynx and travels down to a place where it splits (the carina) into a right and left bronchus. These supply air to the right and left lungs, splitting progressively into the secondary and tertiary bronchi for the lobes of the lungs, and into smaller and smaller bronchioles until they become the respiratory bronchioles. These in turn supply air through alveolar ducts into the alveoli, where the exchange of gases take place. Oxygen breathed in, diffuses through the walls of the alveoli into the enveloping capillaries"
"Pulmonary alveolus A pulmonary alveolus (plural: alveoli, from Latin ""alveolus"", ""little cavity"") is a hollow cavity found in the lung parenchyma, and is the basic unit of ventilation. Lung alveoli are the ends of the respiratory tree, branching from either alveolar sacs or alveolar ducts, which like alveoli are both sites of gas exchange with the blood as well. Alveoli are particular to mammalian lungs. Different structures are involved in gas exchange in other vertebrates. The alveolar membrane is the gas exchange surface. Carbon dioxide rich blood is pumped from the rest of the body into the capillaries that surround"